How do you (electronically) get basic info about new starters?

[pete]

We currently use a "Fill in this bit of paper if you want your kid to study at $school". This is problematic, not to mention causes handwriting-related problems.

 

Bearing in mind we often have nothing more than an email address and confirmation the kid has a place (if they want it), how to you securely get basic information for new admissions to school?

 

I know some of you are using online (Google/365) forms - how well does that work in terms of S/N ratio (form spam), parents finding it easy etc?

[FragglePete]

We get the basic info from the LEA via a CTF file which is imported into SIMS. However, our Data Manager needs more info so we've started using Microsoft Forms within Office365 to capture this info. She then matches up the data from that particular file and copies and paste in. Ideally, would like to work out the mapping of this resulting spreadsheet to the XML file that dictates the CTF file format to automate things a bit more but haven't got the time at present.

 

Pete

[peej2k]

We get information from the LEA via a CTF file, which is transferred on a platform they have purchased called WebXchange. It works well enough, but for the end user it relies on ActiveX, so I'm guessing we're going to have to move forward and use the server based automated tool and rely on email notifications in the near future.

 

For outside the LEA, we use S2S

[pete]

Sorry, I should have mentioned. We get CTFs but often after the student has started and the general quality of contact / medical data in the CTF isn't great. We just pull in behavior/achievement from the CTF and ask parents for the medical / contact / consent information so it's fresh.

[vikpaw]

So I guess there’s still no web front end to the Admissions module.

[pete]

Not that I'm aware of.

 

I can build a workflow in Office 365 that dumps from a web form into a validation workflow and then ultimately into something our admission staff can eyeball and import.

 

I'm just seeing what's out there before I reinvent the wheel.

 

My needs are:

 

• Must avoid handwriting
  
• Data sourced directly from parents
  
• Should result in something staff can import quickly into SIMS
  
• Some token-based auth (or something) to avoid form spamming
  

[matt40k]

Most schools get an ATF file from the LA (who deal with the applications). Once that's done I thought they now just use the parent app to update their own details?

[jmak]

We use the email address from the ATF to send an email with a link to a Google form. We had zero spam.

 

I would like to automate import to SIMs but don't have the skills (or time to learn) to create a suitable XML file.

[panosthegreat]

I've got an XML file I made with dummy data to load into SIMS, it picks up they are a new applicant and lets me press 'create new applicant', but then in the final stage says "No admission group exists for the combination of Year of Entry,Season of Entry and Year Group and hence will not be imported"

The admission group does exist as it's checks for that in the first step of importing... I'm just not sure how to make SIMS realise that..

 

If I make any progress I'll upload the XML code. Getting an online form to make the XML shouldn't be too much work after that.

[supportman]

TASC Insight Parent Portal can handle Pre-Admissions data and then you can get the parents to login securely and update their live Sims data. All you need is their initial email address to create the accounts.

 

Things like medical info and personal details are all present so it covers most things.

Edited December 11, 2018 by supportman

[pete]

Most schools get an ATF file from the LA (who deal with the applications). Once that's done I thought they now just use the parent app to update their own details?

 

Yeah, I've just gone and double-checked.

 

In darkest Lincolnshire, you're lucky to get an electronic transfer after the kid has started. Looking at the import logs in SIMS, I can't see any sign of ATF imports ever and quizzing the admissions people here they've never had one. At best we get a CTF up to a month after the student has started.

 

There is some form of online spreadsheet offered by the LA in March, but that's apparently it.

[matt40k]

Not good. Sounds like someone needs to make a CTF destination for Microsoft Flow

[pete]

Not good. Sounds like someone needs to make a CTF destination for Microsoft Flow

 

Yeah, I need to poke around and see what I can do, but after Xmas.